Report: Seahawks trading Bennett to Eagles

Joe Nicholson / USA TODAY Sports

The rich get richer.

The Seattle Seahawks are trading star defensive end Michael Bennett and a seventh-round pick to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth-rounder and receiver Marcus Johnson, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Bennett has three years remaining on his current contract. He carries a 2018 cap number of around $8.39 million, and hits of approximately $8.74 million and $10.24 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The 32-year-old has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, acting as a key cog in the center of the Seahawks' vaunted defense.

However, Seattle is looking to reload its aging roster. Richard Shermanreportedly told teammates that he won't be with the team in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Eagles get a huge addition to an already strong defensive line. Bennett joins a group that already boasts Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and 2017 first-rounder Derek Barnett.

The Eagles' offseason got off to an explosive start Wednesday as the team agreed to terms on a trade that will bring veteran defensive lineman Michael Bennett to Philadelphia.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Eagles get Bennett and a seventh-round pick for a fifth-round pick and wide receiver Marcus Johnson. Let's go Q&A style to break down the trade.

How does Bennett fit in Jim Schwartz's scheme?

In Seattle's 4-3, Bennett played defensive end in base and swung inside in their sub packages. The term versatile is often overused, but it really fits with Bennett. He's capable of playing multiple spots on the Eagles' defensive line, but what has to excite the Eagles the most is teaming Bennett up with Fletcher Cox inside on third down and obvious passing situations. Bennett is a skilled pass rusher and a gap-penetrating defensive lineman who constantly makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. If the Eagles part ways with Vinny Curry (more on that below) and don't want to start Derek Barnett, Bennett could play right defensive end in base. If Cox were to suffer an injury, Bennett could fill in there. There are a lot of options, but the bottom line is he fits the scheme well.

Is he still productive?

Bennett will turn 33 in November, but he was still a very productive player last season, totaling 8.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits. To put that into perspective, nobody on the Eagles had more than 18 QB hits last year, and only Brandon Graham had more sacks. Bennett's 14 tackles for loss tied for 16th in the NFL. One thing to keep in mind here is that the Seahawks did not rotate defensive linemen as much as the Eagles do. Bennett played 931 snaps (84.8 percent overall) last season. No defensive lineman on the Eagles played more than 662, according to Pro Football Focus. The Eagles have to think that reducing Bennett's workload can help keep him fresh. That's something we saw with Chris Long last season.

Is there another shoe to drop?

Yes. And it almost certainly involves Vinny Curry. As we've written in this space, it's seemed likely all along that the Eagles were going to trade or release Curry, and the addition of Bennett makes that a near certainty. The Eagles can continue to try to trade Curry, and if they're unable to do so, they'll likely release him to create cap space.

Without Curry, the current defensive line group (meaning the guys who will definitely be on the roster) is: Graham, Bennett, Cox, Barnett, Tim Jernigan and Long.

How does this affect the Eagles' cap situation?

One of the reasons this was an attractive move is because it makes sense financially for 2018. Bennett has a base salary of just $1.65 million for next season. Per a source, he's due a $3 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year and also has a per-game roster bonus that can total another $1 million (he gets $62,500 for every game that he's on the 46-man active gameday roster). Bennett's current cap charge for 2018 will be about $5.65 million. The Seahawks eat $5.1 million in dead money.

The Eagles have other options too. They could convert that $3 million roster bonus into a signing bonus and spread that money out throughout the duration of his contract, which runs through 2020. By doing that, they would reduce his cap charge for 2018 to just $3.65 million.

Bennett's salary jumps up to $7 million in 2019 and $8.5 million in 2020. Essentially, this is a one-year commitment for the Eagles. They can decide after 2018 whether they want to keep Bennett or part ways with him.

Will Bennett be a fit in the Eagles' locker room?

Bennett is a big personality. He will readily admit that he doesn't like quarterbacks or offensive linemen. But he was a leader on the Seahawks' defense and even hosted some of the team's younger defensive linemen for training sessions in Hawaii (where he lives) during the offseason.

Bennett started a book club in Seattle and has written his own book as well. He believes strongly in athletes using their platforms for social activism, which was a theme last year for the Eagles — specifically with Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long. In my opinion, he will fit in well — and not just because of this…"